The present invention relates to a method of producing soft packets of cigarettes.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of producing soft packets of cigarettes comprising a substantially rectangular-prism-shaped inner packet, and a cup-shaped outer package formed by folding a sheet of packing material about the relative inner packet.
According to known methods of producing soft packets of cigarettes (for example as disclosed in EP 1052171), a group of cigarette is fed in a pocket of an endless conveyor along a packing path, and through a supply station for supplying a relative sheet of packing material. The sheet of packing material is removed from the supply station by a gripper, which moves with the pocket, tangentially with respect to said packing path and is then fed along the packing path together with the group of cigarettes.
It is an object of the present invention to improve packing methods of producing soft packets, by increasing the speed and precision with which the packing procedures are performed, and by minimizing and, at the same time, simplifying the devices required to perform the packing procedures.
According to the present invention, there is provided a method of producing soft packets of cigarettes comprising a substantially rectangular-prism-shaped inner packet, and a cup-shaped outer package formed by folding a sheet of packing material about the relative inner packet; said inner packet being fed continuously along a packing path extending through a supply station for supplying a relative said sheet of packing material; said sheet of packing material being removed from said supply station tangentially with respect to said packing path, and then being fed along said packing path in a given feed direction together with said inner packet; said inner packet being fed through said supply station inside a relative first conveying pocket; said sheet of packing material being removed from said supply station by feeding gripping means continuously through the supply station, along at least a portion of said packing path, together with said first conveying pocket, in said feed direction; the method being characterized by imparting a reverse movement to said gripping means to substantially arrest the gripping means at said supply station in such a position as to interfere with said sheet of packing material being fed to said supply station; closing said gripping means on to said sheet of packing material; and arresting said reverse movement.
In the method defined above, said sheet of packing material is preferably fed to said supply station in a transverse direction crosswise to said packing path and to said feed direction.